LIVING ROOM LIFESTYLE
LIVING ROOM LIFESTYLE SMART HOME PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT ADVERTORIAL LOGITECH WIRELESS TOUCH KEYBOARD K400 PLUS The Logitech K400 Plus provides laidback control of your TV-connected computer. The all-in-one keyboard with touchpad ends the hassle – and clutter – of multiple devices. With a wireless range of up to 10 m (33 ft)*, users can turn up the volume of their favourite video, browse the web, blog, chat and more, all from the comfort of their couch. Comfortable, quiet keys and a large 3.5 inch touchpad make navigating entertainment effortless. Because of the touchpad, there is no need for a separate mouse. The touchpad also works with Windows 8. The ultrathin keyboard is compact and can be stored upright for added convenience in the living room. Setup is a straightforward thanks to the tiny, plug-and-play Unifying receiver. » HALL 3.2 / STAND 206 UNIQUE SELLING POINTS 1 Extended Battery Life 18-month battery life means you might even forget the keyboard needs batteries 2 Simple Use Familiar key layout with media-friendly controls and large touchpad 3 Product Protection 2-year manufacturer’s guarantee and full product support ELGATO EVE Eve is an app-powered system for monitoring your home from your iPhone and iPad. Taking advantage of Apple’s HomeKit technology, Eve offers unparalleled ease of use, advanced security, and tight integration with Siri. Thanks to energy efficient Bluetooth Smart technology and long-lasting, replaceable batteries, Eve products are completely wireless. Four Eve sensors, sold as individual products, are available: Eve Room, Eve Weather, Eve Door & Window, and Eve Energy - monitoring areas such as indoor air quality, temperature, the security status of doors or windows and energy usage. » HALL 17 / STAND 115 UNIQUE SELLING POINTS 1 Easy Set Up There is no gateway or bridge to configure, so setup is a matter of seconds 2 Apple/Siri Integration Eve responds to Siri, letting users access data collected by Eve and control all HomeKit-enabled accessories directly from their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. 3 Remote access An Eve customer who owns an Apple TV (3rd generation or later) with Apple TV software 7.0 or later can control HomeKit-enabled accessories away from home via devices 34
BUYERS' GUIDE MULTI-ROOM AUDIO STATE OF PLAY One cannot start a buyer’s guide about wireless multiroom audio without mentioning Sonos, founded in 2002 by a visionary management. Two strong trends – digital music and wireless connection – were brought together and music streaming was born. But the real prosperity of wireless multi-room audio started two years ago when a lot of portable speakers appeared. All that engineers now needed was to connect those separate portable loudspeakers and multi-room sound became easy to implement. ANALYSIS by Sales units of Multiroom Systems in the Audio Market (EU10*) Multiroom systems or Network Music Systems can fill the house with music at the same time in different rooms but also with different songs in parallel. In combination with music streaming these products continue to be highly popular in 2015. * EU10 = Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden KEY INNOVATIONS TO LOOK FOR AT IFA GOOGLE CAST We all know Google Chromecast: a small dongle that plugs into your TV and makes it smarter. Google Cast is intended only for audio and is implemented in many existing audio products. At the moment, Sony, LG and Denon support this protocol. Casting music to your Cast-enabled wireless loudspeakers couldn't be easier. Just connect your smart device to home wireless network and click on the cast icon in the music app. Or, you can cast from your laptop by adding Cast extension to your Chrome browser. Google made it so easy that we can expect many manufacturers to implement this technology in the future. BETTER CONTROL Manufacturers are finally making it easier to use apps on smart devices that allow simple and intuitive control over one’s music reproduction. Sonos has created a new app for Android and iPhone, but others are not standing by. Sony has launched SongPal application where one can join two devices (presented by circles on the screen) and they will start sharing same music source. So, controlling multi-room audio reproduction is easy as playing a child’s game on a smartphone, regardless of where one store their music – on the device itself, on NAS or through subscription to a streaming service. STREAMING SERVICES Multi-room products regularly offer the possibility of listening to music through streaming services. The HEOS system, made by Denon, supports all major services like Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, but also Tidal – very popular service among audiophiles, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, rdio, Soundcloud and Rhapsody. Having so many music choices in one’s hands will make a lot of new users happy, especially because they can listen to streaming services on the move and then simply continue when they come home. Support for streaming services will definitely change the way we choose our music and how we enjoy it. MULTIROOM SYSTEMS / NETWORK MUSIC SYSTEMS (IN THS.) +20% 773 645 270 Jan-Jun 2013 Jan-Jun 2014 Jan-Jun 2015 INNOVATING @ IFA IZZY BM5 BY PHILIPS The Philips izzy BM5 is a compact multi-room speaker with a minimalist appearance and simple interface. Connecting at the touch of a button, the speaker offers a seamless user experience. Just press the ‘group’ button to play the same music through all izzy speakers via izzylink, or take control of each izzy speaker individually to play music in a single room. » HALL 22 / STAND 101 THE FUTURE When big players get interested in a new game, then it is clear that the market is relevant. All major manufacturers like Samsung, LG, Philips and Panasonic have launched multi-room products already. It will be interesting to observe how innovative smaller brands like Denon, Bluesound or even Sonos can get in providing smart solutions for high-quality playback. It seems that all manufacturers are running into this game, whether they like it or not. Very soon all new product line-ups will feature multi-room capabilities. M3 SMALL WIRELESS AUDIO MULTIROOM SPEAKERS BY SAMSUNG Available in black or white the sleek, modern Samsung M Series speakers feature a triangular design that evokes the shape of a ‘play’ button. The versatile speakers can be positioned vertically or horizontally, depending upon the layout of the room, and the installation position sensor recognises which way up they have been installed. » CityCube HALL B / STAND 101 By Ljubiša Miodragovic, Vice-President of EISA www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Monday 7 th September 2015 35
